Employee Benefits Open Enrollment to Be Held Online October 7–November 1, 2024
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will hold its annual Employee Benefits Open Enrollment online from October 7–November 1, 2024. Employees will have 24/7 access to the online Benefit Enrollment System (BES) to enroll in or make changes to their benefits. Access to the BES will be available from the Employee Self-Service (ESS) web page. You must submit any benefit changes no later than November 1, 2024. Changes made to your benefits will be effective January 1, 2025.
Benefit Highlights for 2025
- There will be no changes to MCPS-offered medical, dental, or vision plans for 2025.
- A 30 percent coinsurance will be applied to certain specialty medications. PrudentRx will negotiate with selected pharmacies to cover this coinsurance and waive copays.
- The eligibility window for benefits enrollment as a new hire or for a change in benefits due to a qualifying event, will change from 60 days to 30 days.
During Open Enrollment, eligible employees can—
- Enroll in benefits
- Change health insurance carriers
- Make changes to coverage levels
- Add or drop dependents*
- Enroll in flexible spending account(s) (FSAs) for 2025
- Designate life insurance beneficiary(ies)**
You may enroll in the full employee benefits plan or choose only the individual components (medical, dental, vision, or prescription drug) that meet your needs. For example, you may select medical and prescription drug coverage but decline vision and dental coverage. All family members must have the same coverage.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
Open Enrollment also is your time to enroll in an FSA for 2025. If you are participating in an FSA currently and wish to do so again in 2025, you must reenroll. FSA enrollments DO NOT roll over to the next calendar year. To renew your FSA, you will need to reenroll online during this fall’s Open Enrollment (for the 2025 calendar year) and each year thereafter.
Employees hired at the start of the 2024–2025 school year who enrolled in an FSA at that time also will need to reenroll during Open Enrollment for calendar year 2025. New hire FSA enrollments are for the remainder of the current calendar year (2024).
The annual limit on medical FSA accounts for 2025 will increase to $3,200; the limit for dependent care FSA accounts will remain at $5,000. Keep reading for more information about the benefits of enrolling in an FSA for medical and/or dependent care expenses and how to sign up for 2025.
Benefit Rates for 2025
Your 2025 benefit rates will be based on the benefit plan(s) you elect and, as a result of the Wellness Initiatives program, on whether or not—
- you completed a biometric health screening between October 9, 2023, and October 4, 2024; and
- you completed your medical plan’s online health risk assessment between October 9, 2023, and October 4, 2024.
Base rates for the 2025 plan year, which do not include Wellness Initiatives credit(s), are available in the 2025 Employee Benefit Summary. Rate charts for 2025 that do factor in Wellness Initiatives credits or charges are available on the Open Enrollment web page. Find rates for the current plan year on the Employee Benefits web page.
Learn More
Studies show that an educated health-care consumer is best able to navigate the confusing world of health insurance and make better decisions. For details about your benefit options, refer to the 2025 Employee Benefit Summary. It is important to pay close attention to the Open Enrollment materials to ensure that you make the best choices for you and your family.
*Documentation may be required.
**Current designated life insurance beneficiary(ies) will not be displayed on the BES screen. Any changes made to beneficiary(ies) from the BES will replace all previously designated beneficiaries.